Bill Wagman explores an eclectic range of music, including traditional folk of the British Isles and the U.S, contemporary singer/songwriters on both sides of the Atlantic, and American roots music and some of its lesser-known offshoots. Tune in for a great music mix!
Podcast
The Folk Brothers for Oct. 5, 2022: Remembering Mary McCaslin and Joe BussardWed, 10/05/2022 - 11:10am | Peter SchiffmanThis past week, we lost singer-songwriter Mary McCaslin as well as the obsessive 78 rpm collector Joe Bussard. Through her solo work and recordings with her partner Jim Ringer in the '70s, McCaslin helped create a unique California-centric folk style. Her songs continue to resonate and her influence on other singer-songwriters ensure that her musical legacy will continue. Bussard -- an amateur musician -- was passionate about perserving recordings made by unheralded jazz, blues, folk, country and gospel musicians during the first half of the 20th century. He eventually released some of these recordings through his own label, Fonotone. |
The Folk Brothers for Sept. 28, 2022: Mongolian mayhemWed, 09/28/2022 - 11:10am | Peter SchiffmanBrother Bill is back, fresh from the Eagle Festival -- the bird, not the band -- in far western Mongolia. Of course he managed to bring back some traditional and not-so-traditional music, including by The Hu -- not The Who -- a folk metal Mongolian band now touring the States. Where else can you hear throat-singing metal except on The Folk Brothers? |
The Folk Brothers for Sept. 21, 2022: Remembering Paul SartinWed, 09/21/2022 - 11:10am | Peter SchiffmanA leading light of contemporary English folk music, composer, singer, fiddler and oboist, Paul Sartin passed away unexpectedly last week in Oxford, just before taking stage. Although he rarely performed under his own name, Sartin was a founding member of the bands Belshazzar's Feast, Faustus, and Bellowhead. He collaborated widely and was beloved throuhout the British folk community, none more so than in Hampshire, where he co-founded the Whitchurch Folk Club. |
The Folk Brothers for 10:00am on Sep 14th, 2022Wed, 09/14/2022 - 11:10am | Peter Schiffman |
The Folk Brothers for Sept. 7, 2022: Far-flung folkWed, 09/07/2022 - 11:10am | Peter SchiffmanWhile Brother Bill is away for the next few weeks finding new sounds in faraway lands, I decided to explore the sonic landscape a bit farther afield this week myself. So in addition to the usual fiddle and banjo stuff from Appalachia and the UK/Ireland, I dipped into some goth folk from Canada's Mama's Broke, some Americana from Australia's Weeping Willows, and how about some electronic dance folk from France's Green Lads (pictured here). And how about that heat wave, Davis! |
The Folk Brothers for Aug. 31, 2022: More songs about minersWed, 08/31/2022 - 11:10am | Peter SchiffmanLast week, we played a few sets of songs about coal mining. Then the folk music police saw our playlist and informed us that we needed to be more inclusive, so this week we've diversified a bit and included a few songs about hard rock miners too. But mostly more songs about coal from the likes of Jean Ritchie (pictured), Jez Lowe, Caroline Herring, Doc and Merle Watson, Merle Travis, and Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard. |
The Folk Brothers for Aug. 24, 2022: Politics of coalWed, 08/24/2022 - 11:10am | Peter SchiffmanNo, we didn't play any songs about Joe Manchin. But we were inspired by the new BBC miniseries "Sherwood," which deals with the murderous aftermath of a miners' strike in the coalfields near Nottingham -- yes, that Sherwood Forest -- when the Thatcher government decided to kill the unions, in part by embedding undercover police among the striking workers. Ballads about coal mining have long been associated with the folk tradition of northern England and the Appalachians, and we played tracks from the Ian Campbell Folk Group (pictured here) whose music was featured in "Sherwood," as well as music by Offa Rex, John McCutcheon, The Pitman Poets, and others. |
The Folk Brothers for Aug. 17, 2022: Under the coversWed, 08/17/2022 - 11:10am | Peter SchiffmanSome 30 years ago, while sitting in Sudwerk listening to a young singer on a stool performing popular songs of the day, my companion -- Bill Morrissey, who had mostly done original songs at his Palms' gig earlier that evening -- turned to me and said, "When I was starting out, I did lots of covers too, but never with an Ovation guitar!" Singer-songwriters, like Bill, often include a cover or two in their sets. A good cover song should seem fresh, almost as if the singer owned the song. On today's show, I included a few instructive examples: Joel Rafael covering Woody Guthrie, Valerie June covering John Prine, and Stan Rogers (pictured) covering Mary McCaslin. |
The Folk Brothers for 10:00am on Aug 10th, 2022Wed, 08/10/2022 - 11:10am | Peter Schiffman |
The Folk Brothers for Aug. 3, 2022: Remembering Mick MoloneyWed, 08/03/2022 - 11:10am | Peter SchiffmanIf there is such a thing as a "renaissance man" in 21st century culture, then Mick Moloney fit that description. Moloney, who died last week at his home in Greenwich Village, was a New York University professor, a touring and recording musician, an Irish cultural ambassador, an ethnomusicologist, and a lifelong social justice warrior. From his work with The Johnstons, Green Fields of America, and his musical collaborations with Robbie O'Connell, Jimmy Keane, Athena Tergis, John Doyle, and many, many other Irish and American artists, Mick Moloney has left a legacy of recordings that will stand the test of time. The Folk Brothers toured Ireland with Mick, and Bill had been in Galicia with Mick just a few weeks before his untimely death. |
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Davis resident, Dave Nachmanoff is an award-winning singer-songwriter and renowned guitarist. He tours nationally and internationally as a solo act, as well as valued accompanist to Al Stewart. Over the many years he has resided in Davis, Dave has been a generous supporter of this community. In a rare local appearance, Dave will be doing a benefit concert on December 12th for Yolo Food Trucks who are raising the funds to purchase a new refrigerated truck. Dave will be joining the Folk Brothers live in the KDRT studio between 10 and 11 AM on Wednesday, Dec. 9th. He’ll bring his guitar, play some songs, talk about his storied musical career, and tell us why we heard him singing in Starbucks across North America last month. Please join us!
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